


A Ghoul's Guide to Baking for Your Human Girlfriend

by erobororo



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/F, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Touka focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 16:51:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6574255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erobororo/pseuds/erobororo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Step 1: Think about her favorite treat.<br/>Step 2: Find out what the hell this treat even is.<br/>Step 3: Gather all the ingredients you’ve never used before.<br/>Step 4: Assemble a team of ghouls who also don’t know what they’re doing.<br/>(Oh, and one human …)<br/>Step 5: Hand over the treats and pray she doesn’t puke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Ghoul's Guide to Baking for Your Human Girlfriend

**Author's Note:**

> Reuploaded because I deleted my old account. This was made with Christmas in mind since it's a friends' and couples' holiday in Japan ((just pretend everyone's totally cool with Hide knowing about the ghoul thing ok sh))

_“Yoriko…what…is that?”_

_“Mmh? Mmoh! Mha, it’s, a red velvet cupcake!”_

_“Haa?”_

_“I think it’s American. There’s a small shop a few minutes away that sells them_ very _rarely, like, twice a year! They’re soooo good. I think they’re my favorite now.”_

_“Why don’t you try making them if they’re so rare?”_

_“Mmmh, I did once…not even close.”_

_“Hm.”_

_“Touka-chan, try it, try it!”_

_“Eh, no, I’ll pass. You know I don’t have a sweet tooth.”_

_“Hmph, you don’t have an_ anything _tooth! You’re missing ooouuuut.”_

_“Yeah, yeah. Jeez, you got that frosting stuff on your nose.”_

_“Oh? Mmhehe, lick it off for me~”_

_“Wh—I can’t believe you.”_

\- - - - - -

_Step 1_

 

Tokyo stills in the bitter cold, its skies becoming engulfed in purple-grey clouds. A snowflake graces Touka’s nose and she realizes it’s getting to be “that time” of the year again, the time where couples peruse shops for baked goods and hold hands through brightly decorated streets over an imported, commercialized holiday.

She can’t stand this time of the year.

Not only is it too cold to be so damn festive, but it’s also a bunch of bullshit, if she’s to be completely honest. Christmas cakes and restaurant events and even _fast food_ specials? It’s too much for nothing. If it weren’t for her school throwing a weeklong celebration she got stuck preparing for with Yoriko, she’d be able to avoid it altogether. Well, that, and if Hinami didn’t drag her along 20 th Ward to go “sight-seeing” tonight.

“Onee-chan, what about that one?”

Hinami tugs at Touka’s wrist, pointing a bit too excitedly to a window display of cartoony cakes surrounded by felt snow and tinsel. The cake in question is a short, rounded mess of what looks more like icing with a touch of cake, strawberries adorning the top in neat rows.

Hinami giggles. “Look, the strawberry’s shaped like a snowman!”

Touka squints. She can’t believe it. The thing really is cut like a snowman, smile decorated with button-like chocolate and wafers for its stick arms.

“Are you serious…” she mumbles under her breath, not thinking of the way Hinami always manages to hear the littlest things, and corrects herself when the small girl looks up with a hum.

“It’s cute! Very cute. But Hinami,” she pauses to look around, hushing her voice, “what would we do with a cake we can’t eat?”

Hinami pouts and goes quit, only for a moment and then her face is lit up like, well, a Christmas tree. “What about Onee-chan’s friend? She can eat it!”

She pictures Yoriko with a plateful of cake, thinks of her cheeks puffed out and mouth rolling around the food, and for the life of her can’t understand why it’s so enticing to imagine. The possibly good emotional as well as physical reactions fill Touka’s mind so much she actually considers buying the whole four-thousand yen cake just for Yoriko. That is, until Hinami shatters the mental picture straight to the ground.

“Kaneki-Onii-chan’s friend can eat it, too!”

Well, it’s not exactly wrong, but… _Nagachika_? Why would Hinami think of that obnoxious pollen-headed human?

“Uhh, I doubt he would like this kind of food,” she half-lies, trying to steer away from thinking about him. “Anyway, I wouldn’t want to give into this holiday crap, let alone gift Yoriko some overpriced store-bought cake…” She eyes it one more time, wincing at how artificial it appears. “That doesn’t even look good for humans.”

Hinami shrugs, humming the song playing from the shop’s speakers and rocking on her heels. All this over a _cake_. Yoriko wouldn’t even buy Touka this or any cake, she’d—

“Make it for me...shouldn’t I do the same?” she catches herself talking aloud when Hinami stops to tilt her head questioningly. “I mean—I should learn how to make food in general, if I plan on keeping up this whole ‘blending in’ thing.”

The girl nods in agreement, probably not really getting it, but then she gasps, smiling wide. “Can Hinami help Onee-chan make food?!”

Touka regrets this immediately—but Hinami’s just too cute to say no to. She thinks back to all those months ago at lunch, when Yoriko dug into those blood-red cupcakes like a starved kitten. She makes her decision after remembering the name—well, she could never forget in the first place, since Yoriko wouldn’t stop talking about the damn things.

“Okay, okay, yes, Hinami can help.” The caramel-haired girl hugs Touka’s midriff and squeals with delight. “But let’s get back to Anteiku first, yeah?”

Hinami nods so vigorously Touka worries her neck will snap in half. It’s hard to match the girl’s energy sometimes, but it’s always nice to have that spirit around to remind her that being a ghoul, though difficult, isn’t always so bad.

\- - - - - -

_Step 2_

 

They return to the shop just before closing, giving a gentle nod with a “good night” to Koma and Irimi as they walk out. Before the door can close behind them, Hinami lets go of Touka’s hand to run over to Kaneki by the counter, latching onto his waist with a big grin.

“Onee-chan’s gonna make _human_ food!”

Kaneki looks…surprised, to say the least, patting Hinami on the head and giving Touka a quizzical expression. “Is that so?”

The slicked violet haired girl shrugs, walking over to the counter to clean up some cups—it isn’t that she feels empathetic enough to help Kaneki with his job, she just can’t stand to see him working so slowly. “Yeah, yeah, what of it?”

“For a friend!” Hinami blurts out.

Touka flicks her hand and looks pointedly at Kaneki. “Alright, you were human once, what the hell’s a…red velvet cupcake?”

He furrows his brows. “Sweets were never really my thing, but maybe Hide knows?”

“If it’s gonna be like that I’ll just look online…”

“Are you trying to ask for my help, Touka-chan?”

She hates when he gets _that look_ in his eyes.

“Ooh, Shitty-Touka! You really trying to make human food on your own?”

Nishiki. Of course.

“Nobody asked you, shit-eater,” she growls with an objecting finger pushed right to his chest.

“Do we really need to do this in front of Hinami-chan..?” Kaneki laments as the two butt heads for a good five minutes longer, concluding in Touka jabbing that Nishiki’s no better— _“you’re gonna get dragged by the leash through all those stupid parades and lights”_ —and Nishiki arrogantly gliding out the door with the utmost guarantee that her experiment will end in disaster.

Touka sucks her teeth and turns back to the black haired half-ghoul, effortlessly rebounding as if she had a simple case of the hiccups. “So, anyway, yes, I am asking for your help.”

“Ah, well—”

“We both have off tomorrow. We’re going out to get ingredients, and we’re gonna make some cupcakes after the store closes. Deal?” She doesn’t give him the chance to object, though she knows he wouldn’t _really_ say no.

Kaneki sighs. “Alright. And I really think you should let Hide help out, too.”

She groans with an eye-roll, setting a cup into its shelf. “Gimme a good reason.”

“He’s _human_ , and you’re making _human_ food. He’s the only one who can taste test it.”

She also hates when he’s right. But she comes up with a rebuttal.

“If this is something I plan on doing more, I need to do it on my own.”

“Even though Hinami-chan and I are helping you?”

He gets a good jab to the ribs for that one. “Idiot, that’s not what I mean. None of us can taste it, yeah? But if _that guy_ comes in to taste everything, how will I learn to trust my own cooking?” It makes perfect sense to her, so why is he giving her such a hard time?

He puts his hands up, Hinami already detached from his hip and climbing up the stairs. “You’re too proud, Touka-chan.”

“And you’re too modest,” she retorts, hooking a finger at the string of his eyepatch and snapping it against his face, ignoring his mild cry and gliding toward the stairs. “Ready for bed, Hinami?”

The young girl affirms sleepily, rubbing her cheeks before following Touka to the guest room provided for her. From the doorway Touka calls out, “Meet me at that market on the corner at noon, or I’ll kick your ass.”

 

\- - - - - -

_Step 3_

 

Touka approaches the grocery store, a tiny ghoul held by one hand and a scribbled recipe in the other. Through puffed warm air in the bitter cold she sees Kaneki’s figure standing on the corner looking at his phone, and if Hinami weren’t by her side, she’d shove into him in the most intimidating way she could muster. Just because. “Tough love” she once called it while Kaneki massaged a beaten muscle. That’s just how they are sometimes.

“O–i, Eyepatch!” she calls out, prompting Hinami to run over, animated as ever. “Let’s get this over with.”

Kaneki closes his phone with a start, placing it in his pocket and walking inside with the other two. “You know for someone who thought this up, it doesn’t sound like you really want to do it.”

“It’s not that,” she explains grabbing a basket, “I just wanna…” Want what? “I’m just nervous about it. What if it tastes worse than the stuff she makes me?”

“Then you try again. With someone who can actually taste the food…” He trails off, and Touka knows exactly where it’s going, though she hadn’t quite been expecting said prediction to walk his merry way over from the entrance.

“Yo, Kaneki, Touka-chan! Oh—and little Hinami-chan’s here, too,” he smiles too brightly, Touka thinks, even though it manages to pep the tiny girl up even more. “Gang’s all here, huh?”

Touka shoots Kaneki a sideways glare while Hinami rattles off to Nagachika about the day’s big plan. “You did this, didn’t you?”

“Hate me if you want, but I’m just trying to help. I want this go well just as much as you do.”

She imagines a nice roundhouse kick to the side of his head might be good to get her frustration out, but Hinami snatching the paper out of her hand reminds her that she’s out in public now, and humans might not appreciate that action. The young girl bounces over to Nagachika and spouts off the few words she can read, mumbling an “egg… milk…light?” to which he laughs and informs her that, no, no, that kanji together with those means “wheat flour.” The girl repeats the word aloud, looking up at Nagachika in silent question. He grins and offers thumbs-up, going over the rest of the recipe with her.

Kaneki turns to Touka again. “Look how much fun Hinami-chan is having. It’ll be fine.”

Did she ever mention how much she hates it when he’s right?

And what’s worse, she finds herself mulling over the reasons and agreeing with him completely.

“Okay, okay,” she groans, pointing at Nagachika. “You get to help out.”

He recoils a bit, sporting a half-smile of uncertainty, like he just got dragged into something he never really asked for. “Yay..?”

“But,” she continues, “no tasting until _after_.” Kaneki moves to say something but she interrupts him. “Don’t try to argue or I’ll change my mind.”

Nagachika glances over at Kaneki like he’s exchanging telepathic messages, then shrugs with his usual radiating smile. “Fine by me.”

“Better be.” She begins walking away, basket dangling from between her arm. “Hinami, what’s first on our list?”

“Ummmbutter!” the girl answers proudly, and rightfully so.

“ _I’ll_ take care of this,” Nagachika declares stepping forward in that way Touka just can’t seem to stand. She’s beginning to wonder if he does it on purpose. “You three’ll be hopeless in this store.”

Touka catches Kaneki rolling his eyes and mumbling something about being “human once, remember?” She won’t admit it, but the scene makes her heart swell. She’s enjoying this.

\- - - - - -

_Step 4_

 

“You know this says it makes for fifteen people, right?”

They all turn to Nagachika, who’s sitting at a table rummaging through grocery bags, recipe in hand.

“Humans can eat that much, right?” Kaneki gives Touka _that look_ and she has to hold back laughter. “I’m kidding. Kind of. Well, I don’t think Yoriko can eat that many cupcakes, at least…what’re we gonna do with all them?”

Nagachika suggests casually, almost sleepily, “Just keep them here. If she likes them, you can be all, ‘ooh well I’ve always got more back at my place~’” He pitches his voice to crudely imitate Touka, who’s not fond of the impression whatsoever. He seems to catch on. “…Or, if she doesn’t, give ‘em to me. I’ll eat just about anything you can’t.” Hinami giggles and he puts an arm behind his head with a cheeky grin. Touka sighs and begrudgingly allows it, turning to lean down with her hands on her knees.

“Hinami, you and I are going to prep the batter for Kaneki to put in the molds, okay?”

“Oka—ay!” Touka really marvels at the girl’s cheer.

There’s a sudden noise in the air, synthetic instruments that belong to the previous decade, and she whips her head around to see Kaneki’s confidant placing his headphones on the table and rolling a volume ticker. Their eyes meet, and when she furrows her brow waiting for an explanation not even she’s sure what for, he fidgets in place.

“Mood music?”

She groans, and Nagachika looks like he nearly soiled himself when she steps towards him to reach into her bag and pull out a music player encased in a plastic rabbit, handing it over.

“If you’re gonna play something, at least make it good. That boy band is so annoying.”

She can’t even make it back to the counter before a surprise visit from a certain shit-eating ghoul. His reasoning is something along the lines of guilt-tripping her for using the shop after hours without the manager’s consent.

“It’s for a good cause,” Touka quips. “The manager, _and you_ , of all people, would understand.”

She knows once Kimi is brought into the conversation, even without mentioning her name, Nishiki softens up like a wet sponge and lets down his tough-guy façade just enough for her to get what she wants out of him. Which, for right now, is pushing him to the cleaning he skimped out on earlier while the others work on baking (and, as a result, pile on to the mountain of things he needs to clean). Even Nagachika seems to be enjoying the spectacle, swallowing down a snicker as Nishiki grabs a smock and supplies, quietly commenting on the good new look.

Finally, _finally_ , Touka gets in position at one of the counters, collecting the first round of ingredients to measure, mix, and stir while Hinami (somewhat successfully) aids her and Kaneki stands by whipping up the sour cream icing. It doesn’t take long before they all get into a rhythm, pumping out just a bit more cupcakes than the recipe calls for, each person taking a turn to apply the frosting. The difference in craftsmanship between their application is laughable (Kaneki’s the only one with clean white tops, while even Hinami did a more careful job than the human who’s fit for this sort of thing), but with a well-deserved plop down on a kitchen chair and just a tinge of jealousy for not being able to try them, Touka feels accomplished, confident even. With the sloppiest cupcake in hand, she extends an offer to the only taste-tester in the room, smiling like she had just beaten him in a competition.

“Well?” she inflects, eyes waiting expectantly for answers as he raises the treat to his mouth and takes a bite so direct it’d make any ghoul proud.

When he hums and furrows his brows, she starts to worry. When he places a hand on her shoulder and hangs his head, she starts to _really_ worry.

“Touka-chan, I dunno what these are supposed to taste like,” he starts, and she grimaces with concerned eyes, mixed with deflating confidence and an urge to break his arm. “But these. Are. _Amazing_.”

She lets out a deep breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

Well, Nagachika’s arm is spared.

 

\- - - - - -

_Step 5_

 

 

Today’s the day. _The_ day. The day that could make or break everything with Yoriko. Or at least that’s how it feels, not being entirely sure of Nagachika’s tastebuds (he has said before that he would eat almost _anything_ …). What’s to say because one person liked it, Yoriko will? She tries latching onto yesterday’s encouragement from Kaneki and Hinami, who even provided her with a decorative box and ribbon, as she sits in waiting on a bench in a small park amidst unusually calm streets, surrounded by warm and cool lights alike. Nearby couples engage in typical holiday behavior, one of the only times of the year they all act so openly affectionate as if no one is watching, and it makes Touka want to gag, until she sees Yoriko bouncing her way over from across the street, and then it just makes her want to be one of _those_ couples.

Between distracted gawking, the brown-haired girl’s eyes hone in on Touka, a shrill greeting of her name filling the otherwise quiet air. She picks up her pace despite the chilled ground, and Touka slips the box out of sight.

“It’s so coooold,” Yoriko whines as she takes a very generous seat, “but at least everything’s pretty, right?”

With a playful smile she turns so they’re facing, and Touka just _knows_ she’s doing it on purpose, warmth already crawling to her cheeks as she takes all of Yoriko into her sight.

“Yeah, everything’s pretty, alright…”

“So, whatcha wanna do? It’s not like you to hang out for Christmas, Touka-chan.”

“Yeah, well, first time for everything. It’s not like you to wear black and yet,” Touka implies the rest of her statement by gesturing to Yoriko’s outfit, a surprisingly monotone arrangement for such a colorful girl.

She giggles with a kick of her legs to admire the clothing. “I guess you’re right. Hmm I wonder if we can make it to the parade.”

“Actually,” Touka reflexively grabs Yoriko’s arm as if she were about to fly up and leave any second, then upon seeing the girl’s confused smile, eases up and fidgets with the box behind her, “I wanted to give you something first…just a little…something.”

With not-at-all confident hands she finally reveals the gift, trying to maintain eye contact through the sudden hotness in her cheeks, intensified by Yoriko’s excitement.

“Touka-chan! Thank you so much, ooh!”

“You haven’t even opened it…”

“I can still thank you, silly,” she sticks out her tongue, slowly unraveling the thin material. “Is it a ring? I bet it’s a ring. On Christmas day, too! You’re so romantic, Touka-chan~”

The young ghoul gives up trying to stay focused, hiding the other half of her face with her hand, certain her face is as bright as the illuminations. “Dummy…it’s not a ring, it’s—”

“Red velvet cupcakes!!” From the volume of her voice, one might think she was getting proposed to after all. “Did you make these?”

“…Maybe. They’re your favorite, ri—”

Touka’s not given a chance to even breathe the next syllables before Yoriko sets the box down to give the tightest, near-death grip embrace she’s ever experienced, only to scoot back and delight in the cupcakes once more.

“They look so good, I could eat them all. Oh, oh!” Yoriko practically chirps as she pauses mid-bite, holding a single confectionary between their mouths. “Share this one with me.” Too close for Touka’s comfort.

She shakes her head at the thing in refusal, insisting through a lie that she already had enough when baking them.

“Besides,” she adds sliding over effortlessly as if using her kagune, a grin creeping on her face, “I’d rather have a taste of you.”

If Yoriko had known about Touka’s “secret,” that remark might not be taken in stride. But when the equally devilish curl of Yoriko’s lips which always seem to invite her—to _beckon_ her—prove that the challenge has been accepted, all fears leave with the chilling wind as their bodies are brought closer together. And even when the nauseating flavor of leftover icing teases her tongue, she can’t find any reason to complain.

She’s definitely changed her mind about the holidays.


End file.
